


With a Little Help from my Friends (aka IM2)

by Kizmet



Series: What If [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Pepper Potts, Gen, tony is not a doormat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-17 04:19:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14825121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kizmet/pseuds/Kizmet
Summary: Someone has unleashed a horde of good (occasionally OVER) communication fairies on the MCU.  Pepper’s convinced that someone’s dosing Tony’s shot glass with a revolutionary new truth serum (because Sodium Pentothal would only make him babble more than he already does). And Steve doesn’t know what happened but even before the serum people were suddenly talking to him (not that he likes what they’re saying but it’s good not to be summarily dismissed).However the Powers that Be are NOT going to stand for this.  If they have to drop an asteroid on Nick Fury’s dog to keep the plot on track THEY WILL DO IT (They’re not sure how the asteroid will help, but gosh-darn, they’re willing)!  Whatever it takes, no matter what.  Communication will NOT be allowed to get in the way of explosions and action scenes!!!To keep things vaguely orderly I’m restructuring as a series with each movie being its own story and each chapter is a scene, possibly (if necessary) followed by a TPTB induced course correction.





	1. The Sanity of Vanko’s Plan was Questioned

The local police let Tony into the cell holding his attacker then left them to talk. “Pretty decent tech,” Tony complimented holding up the Arc Reactor he’d taken from the other man’s suit. “Cycles per second were a little low. You could have doubled up your rotations. You focused the repulsor energy through ionised plasma channels. It’s effective. Not very efficient. But it’s a passable knock-off. I don’t get it. A little fine tuning you could have made a solid paycheck. You could have sold it to North Korea, China, Iran, or gone onto the black market. You look like you got friends in low places.”

“You come from a family of thieves and butchers,” the other inventor accused. “And now, like all guilty men, you try to rewrite your own history. And you forget all the lives the Stark family has destroyed.”

“But speaking of thieves, Tony replied. “Where did you get this design?”

“My father. Anton Vanko.”

“Well, I never heard of him,” Tony said.

“My father is the reason you’re alive,” Vanko hissed.

“Okay, I get it,” Tony sighed, “You’re saying my dad stole the design from yours, or didn’t properly give him credit. Since SI didn’t actually make any money off the reactor until I miniaturized it, at which point the original patent had been dead for decades, your dad didn’t bother to challenge it or something..."

"Howard Stark had him deported!"

"You know, I don’t actually have a high enough opinion of my father to render an opinion on whether or not he was enough of a dick to falsify evidence to avoid sharing the credit... For an invention that was never more than a show piece for the next forty years... Or if whatever he accused your old man of was real.  And I don't care, the reason I’m alive is ‘cause you had a shot, you took it, you missed.”

“Did I?” Vanko laughed. “If you can make God bleed, the people will cease to believe in him. And there will be blood in the water. And the sharks will come. The truth, all I have to do is sit here and watch as the world will consume you.”

“Where will you be watching the world consume me from?” Tony shot back. “That’s right. A prison cell. I’ll send you a bar of soap.”

“Hey, Tony,” Vanko called after him. “Before you go, palladium in the chest, painful way to die.”

Tony stopped and turned around, “You mean your brilliant plan was to attack me and lose, so that you could watch me die of palladium poisoning from the comfort of a prison cell instead of whatever rat hole you crawled out of?” he asked in disbelief. “You could have saved yourself some trouble and just knocked over a convenience store… Or, I don’t know, you could have done nothing and gotten about the same result. I mean, maybe this little tiff of ours gives me a few more headaches than I’d have anyway but let’s get serious: I don’t give a damn what the media says about me and Pepper’s an expert at dealing with my PR disasters. I already told the government to kiss my ass once and would cheerfully do it again. By the time they get anything together that would actually annoy me to deal with I’ll be dead. So your big revenge basically screwed up my one chance to drive against world class racers… Pepper and Happy’ll totally be on guard against my staging a repeat performance.”

“Well, the suit, it could have been better if I take a little more time designing,” Vanko admitted. “I just hated the idea of you dying horribly before I had done anything to avenge my father for the wrongs your father did him.”

“Yeah, enjoy your prison stay,” Tony said as he left.

**Someone really should have talked to Vanko before Monaco but I think his dad had already died and the bird doesn’t talk. So there’s no one to explain that Tony didn’t actually need any help self-destructing at this point. No course correction required.**


	2. Tony actually tells his friend he’s dying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are multiple places to pick where Tony could and should have told his friends what was going on. I picked after Monaco instead of when he gives Pepper the company... Mostly because it's shorter and leads more directly into the course correction spot.

Tony put a plate of burned something in front of Pepper. “What is that?” she asked.

“This is your in-flight meal,” he explained aiming for a charming grin.

Pepper stared at the burned lump in dismay. She thought about the PR disaster Monaco had turned into, not to mention Tony’s sudden decision to risk his life driving race cars, ‘And this is his apology,?’

“Did you just make that?” 

“Yeah. Where do you think I’ve been for three hours?” Tony asked.

“I don’t know, dealing with this- this,” Pepper trailed off, waving her hands in frustration. “Tony, what are you not telling me?”

“I don’t want to go home,” Tony announced. “At all. Let’s cancel my birthday party and… We’re in Europe. Let’s go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?”

“Oh, yes.”

“It’s a great place to be healthy-” Tony wheedled.

“I don’t think this is the right time,” Pepper said. “We’re in kind of a mess.”

“Yeah, but maybe that’s why it’s the best time,” Tony continued over her. “Also heavy metal poisoning. It’s now or never.”

“Wait, what?” Pepper exclaimed.

Tony licked his lips. “Um, that might not have been the best way to bring it up.”

“Poisoning?” Pepper’s voice arched up to a shrill note. 

Tony winced, “Maybe my other plan was better. You’re smart, you would have figured out the successor thing, I didn’t need to tell you. It’s not like telling you changes anything. I can’t do anything, you can’t do anything. What’s the point of talking about it?”

“Tony!” Pepper broke in.

“Turns out having a pallatium core embedded in your chest is not an FDA recommended procedure.” Tony shrugged as Pepper reached across the space between them to clutch at his hand. “But then pointy shards of less heavy metal aren’t exactly heart healthy either. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t; Story of my life really.” 

“So… Race car driving?” Pepper asked tentatively after several moments of dragging her thoughts into order. Tony glanced at her uncertainly. “You have fun?” she asked.

“Until Vanko decided to be a spoilsport,” Tony said. “I think I could have placed… Um not last.”

A watery chuckle escaped Pepper.

“Venice?” Tony tried. 

“Sounds wonderful but someone trusted me to keep SI running smoothly and there’s sort of a mess over there right now,” Pepper said regretfully. “Let me get ahead of some of those fires before they turn really unmanageable. I’ll try to get it handled before your birthday. What do you actually want to do? ...Wait! You’ve talked to a doctor, right Tony?”

“They’d say exposure to palladium is a problem,” Tony stalled. “I can’t exactly do anything about that. I’ve got J.A.R.V.I.S. looking into the organic side of the problem.”

Pepper closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “And you don’t think someone with- I don’t know: An actual medical degree. -Might have any thoughts on managing symptoms?”

“I don’t like doctors,” Tony stated flatly.


	3. Course Correction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Fury: Whoa, whoa, whoa. He took it? You’re Iron Man and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit? [Turns to Agent Romanoff] Is that possible?_
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Agent Romanoff: Well, according to Mr Stark’s database security guidelines, there are redundancies to prevent unauthorised usage._
> 
>  
> 
> So I’m going with the notion that Tony intentionally engineered Rhodes taking the suit. Because if Tony did something straightforward like giving it to Rhodes he would have had to explain why which ends up with him telling his friends he’s dying. Therefore Tony having come clean does introduce a significant change because he doesn't have to manipulate Rhodes into taking the suit any more.

Pepper’s eyes were red but her voice was controlled as she spoke into the phone, “Yes, but the fundamentals of the company are still very, very strong despite the events in Monaco.”

“Yes, of course,” Natalie said, manning her own phone. Then turned to Pepper. “The AP wants a quote.”

“Don’t tell them. Fax them…” Pepper instructed as she covered her phone.

Rhodes walked in at a fast clip, “What’s going on with Tony?” he demanded.

“He doesn’t want to be disturbed,” Natalie volunteered, happy to stir the pot a little.

“Could you?” Pepper asked gesturing for Natalie to leave. Then into the phone, “I’m sorry but I need to put you hold for a moment.”

Rhodes’ expression grew steadily more concerned as Pepper shut the door behind the new PA.

“The arc reactor is killing Tony,” the words burst out of Pepper as soon as they had a little privacy. “He won’t talk to a doctor. I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Rhodes said, locking onto Tony’s refusal to see a doctor.

In the background the tv newscaster continued “But his continuing erratic behaviour may lead many people to ask themselves, ‘Can this man still protect us?’”

As Rhodes headed downstairs he heard J.A.R.V.I.S. saying, “Query complete sir. Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963.However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons grade plutonium to Pakistan, and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist.“

“Tony,” Rhodes said miserably.

Tony grimaced as he turned towards Rhodes, “So you talked to Pepper first?”

“She told me I needed to talk to you. Of course I got the scoop from her first on what about,” Rhodes said. “She says you won’t go to a doctor?”

“No point,” Tony said, stumbling as he stood.

Rhodes leapt to catch him. “Yeah, I can totally see that.” Even after Tony was steady on his feet Rhodes kept a hand under his elbow. “What do you need?”

“I should get to my desk,” Tony said and Rhodes helped him over. “See that cigar box?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s palladium.” Tony removed a smoking cylinder from the arc reactor.

Rhodes looked ill, “You had this in your body?”

“If I take it out I die,” Tony said defensively. “It’s neutron damage. It’s from the reactor wall. It’s an engineering problem, what’s a doctor going to tell me that I don’t already know?”

“You’re looking into Vanko,” Rhodes realized.

“Yesterday I would have said someone else making an arc reactor was impossible,” Tony admitted.

“About that,” Rhodes bit his lip, “Listen. I’ve been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up the PCH, knocking down your front door and taking the suits. There’s only so long I’m going to be able to stall them.”

“Now I have a plan for,” Tony declared brightening. He dragged Rhodey over toward one of his suits. “This one’s a little big for me but…”

“No, oh no. Not like this,” Rhodes protested.

“Come on,” Tony argued. “Everyone’s asking if Iron Man’s still protecting them. Telling them I’m going to be dead in a month or two-“

A cut off moan escaped Rhodes, “How long have you known?” he choked out.

“Theoretically?” Tony asked quietly. “Since the the beginning. I know why they say ‘mad as a hatter’, Palladium’s in the same class of metals. J.A.R.V.I.S. started haranguing me about ignoring the symptoms about the time I started planning the Expo.”

“Sir, I am programmed to inform you, as forcefully as deemed necessary, when the lab is on fire,” JARVIS replied in an arch tone. “In my humble opinion, the same guidelines applied to this circumstance.”

“There’s always community college,” Tony mumbled but he couldn’t really muster the energy for it when his best friend was looking about five seconds from bursting into tears, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel or not. “I could always revert to the original plan where I do something astoundingly obnoxious and stupid to force you to take it,” he offered. “I hadn’t worked out all the details but I’m great at improv- just check any of my speeches.”

“You weren’t going to tell me,” Rhodes asked. “You were just going to…”

“I made Pepper cry, I’m making you miserable,” Tony exclaimed. “I’m trying! I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium. I’ve tried every combination, every permutation of every known element. I’m looking into Vanko, the guy made an arc reactor, maybe he’s got different ideas about how and what that might help me… Of course it would be better if he didn’t hate my guts and- Oh, dead by the way. But maybe, maybe there’s a new lead in there. Something else I could try. But YOU CAN’T HELP! So what was the point of telling you anyway?”

Rhodes expression tightened in frustration, “What’s the point? How can you even ask that? Watching Monaco, watching you go off the rails and having no idea why. Getting angry because half the DoD is breathing down my neck about the god-damn suit and you’re being a smartass to Congress and I’d have had no idea of what was going on in your head, until, bam! You’re dead and I’m left wondering if I could have done something, feeling like shit because I didn’t realize- Because you didn’t tell me!

“You’re right, if I tried to help you with the engineering I’d only slow you down. I can’t fix this for you, no matter how much I wish I could. But Tones, for God’s sake, let me be your friend. Don’t pull some bullshit move to push me away. Tell me what I can do, even if it’s punching Stern in the face to get ‘em off your back for awhile.”

“Take the suit,” Tony replied. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

Rhodes grimaced, “I’ll have to turn it over to the military, you know that.”

“Do what you have to do,” Tony replied with a shrug. “Just like the congressional hearing. You did your job, you wrote the report that you believed in, regardless of it being about me. But you didn’t let Stern twist it into serving his agenda. I don’t trust them not to give bad orders but I do trust you not to follow them. So turn it over to the military and let them knock themselves out trying to get around the security measures I put in there to prevent unauthorized usage… And by unauthorized I mean anyone not named James Rupert Rhodes, War Machine is yours.

“And Vanko was an outlier,” Tony finished with shrug. “I stand by ten years before anyone else has comparable tech.”

“Okay,” Rhodes sighed. “If you’re sure… And just in case you’re having second thoughts: I am intensely relieved you didn’t pull some stupid stunt to get me to take the suit without you admitting you were giving to it.”

“Oh Sour Patch, admit it: You love my stupid stunts,” Tony replied.

Rhodey shook his head, “No, seriously, I don’t.”

 “You do.”

“Not doing this,” Rhodes said shaking his head. “So your birthday, what do you say to you, me, Pepper and Happy, bad movies and take out?”

“You’re going to make me tell Happy?!?” Tony whined.

 

* * *

 

 

 Two days later Tony woke up to a warning from J.A.R.V.I.S., “Sir, we have a repeat intruder. He seems to think he can pull the same trick on me twice,” the AI added with a tsk.

“Pirates at dawn, what a lovely way to start a new day,” Tony groused. “Where is he?”

“Your office sir. I can call security to escort him out,” JARVIS offered. “In fact, they have been on standby for the last hour, in case he tried anything more than sitting in the dark waiting to startle you.”

“A whole hour?” Tony asked.

“You need your sleep, sir.”

Tony chuckled. “I guess I better go see what he wants,” he said and headed for his office.

“You were a no-show at your own birthday party,” Fury declared when Tony walked in and turned on the lights.

Tony rolled his eyes, “I told you I don’t wanna join your super-secret boy band.”

“Tony, I’m worried about you. You made your girl your CEO, you’re giving away all your stuff. You let your friend fly away with your suit. Now, if I didn’t know better…” Fury trailed off.

“I’m sorry. I don’t wanna get off on the wrong foot. Do I look at the patch or the eye?” Tony asked irrelevantly.

“I’d think you were giving up,” Fury finished.

“I’ve been worse,” Tony deferred as a woman walked up behind him. He glanced over and recognized his new PA “You’re fired.”

“That’s not up to you,” Probably-not Natalie said as she sat down beside Fury.

“Tony, I want you to meet Agent Romanoff,” Fury said.

“Hi,” Tony replied unenthusiastically.

“I’m a S.H.I.E.L.D. shadow,” Romanoff explained. “Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by Director Fury.”

“What do you want from me?” Tony sighed.

“What do we want from you? What do you want from me?” Fury replied as Agent Romanoff left. “You have become a problem, a problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the centre of my universe. I have bigger problems than you in the southwest region to deal with.

“Hit him,” Fury ordered and Romanoff injected Tony without warning.

“Oh, God, are gonna steal my kidney and sell it?” Tony groused. “Could you please not do anything awful for five seconds? What did she just do to me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that Fury would let a little thing like no wild party get in the way of trying to make Tony feel indebted to S.H.I.E.L.D. for performing medical procedures without consent and turning over bunch of property that Tony should have inherited a decades earlier.


	4. Tony was not feeling Hungover and Abandoned when Fury showed up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still sticking with the IM1 timeline that says Howard and Marie died THEN Stane took over as CEO of SI UNTIL Tony turned 21. In other words, Tony was LESS than 21 when his parents died (and more than 17). I’m going with Tony’s 19 when they died in 1991, which moves his birthday up to 1972, thus Howard’s last Expo moves up to 1976 to keep Tony four years old in the old Expo film footage.

“That thing in your chest is based on unfinished technology,” Fury declared.

Tony rolled his eyes, “No, it was finished. It has never been particularly effective until I miniaturised it and put it in my…”

“No,” Fury corrected. “Howard said the arc reactor was the stepping stone to something greater. He was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race. He was on to something big, something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor look like a triple-A battery.”

“Just him, or Anton Vanko in on this too?” Tony went fishing.

“Anton Vanko is the other side of that coin. Anton saw it as a way to get rich. When your father found out, he had him deported. When the Russians found out he couldn’t deliver they shipped his ass off to Siberia and he spent the next 20 years in a vodka-fuelled rage,” Fury expounded on Vanko Sr.’s evils and Howard’s virtues. “Not quite the environment you want to raise a kid in, the son you had the misfortune of crossing paths with in Monaco.”

“Well, that sounds like... Exactly one side of the story,” Tony replied dryly. “Nice, very neat, very clean. Us: Good. Them: Bad. You know, pretty much the sort of thinking I said enough with back when I quit making weapons? Are you trying to get me back into the arms business Nicky?”

“Clean energy. That’s your ball of wax these days isn’t it? And if that Reactor might also be the key to a new generations of weapons, well it’s still your choice who gets access,” Fury replied. “You don’t really have a choice, the answer to this riddle, it’s the key to your heart isn’t it?”

“Okay, yeah,” Tony sighed. “I don’t really give a damn if Anton Vanko was the bad guy or not, his son’s an asshole who tried to kill me and I’m not actually in that big of a hurry to die. You told me I hadn’t tried everything. What do you mean I haven’t tried everything? What haven’t I tried?”

“Howard said that you were the only person with the means and knowledge to finish what he started,” Fury said, holding out the validation Tony had always sought from his father on a silver platter.

“Are you done trying to manipulate me with my father issues?” Tony asked sarcastically. “Because I grew up with him and he wasn’t my biggest fan.”

“Tony?” Pepper called. “Why are there S.H.I.E.L.D. agents all over your house?”

Agent Coulson trailed in after Pepper looking chagrin and apologetic. “Our predictions suggested Stark should have alienated both Colonel Rhodes and Ms. Potts by now.” He admitted to Fury. “Between that and his elevated blood toxicity level we didn’t think to check that the guest rooms were clear before triggering the intervention phase.”

Fury’s raised eyebrow clear said, “Guestroom? You’re slipping Stark.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Like now’s the time for friends to lovers,” he muttered. Then he turned to Pepper. “Natalie’s a spy, their spy. She shot me up with some mystery goo that they say ’ll relieve my symptoms; preliminary results support that statement. Apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s been watching and waiting for me to be well and truly fucked up before swooping in and gifting me with my father’s research so I’ll owe them my life.”

Pepper smiled tightly as she turned to Fury. “If this doesn’t turn out roses, I will ruin you,” she informed him. “I don’t care if I have to use the withholding treatment angle, performing medical procedures without consent… Or a license. Just be assured that if Tony does not come out of this okay, I will remember that you were screwing around with his health, trying to gain some sort of advantage and I will put all of SI’s resources behind getting restitution.”

Fury shot an exasperated look at Coulson and Romanoff. Romanoff studiously avoided his gaze while Coulson shrugged a bit helplessly. Tony grinned at Pepper.

“What do you remember about your dad?” Fury asked trying to get the conversation back on track.

“Nope, not done with the manipulation segment of this morning’s encounter afterall,” Tony replied. “You know, as fascinating as your insight into dear old Dad is… I’d rather talk about why you’re sharing all this with me right now.”

Fury heaved a huge sigh, “You want to know? Fine. Howard mothballed the arc reactor in 1976, right before he started planning the last Stark Expo. He said he couldn’t do it with the materials and technology of the time. And that’s that, not up for further discussion, the project is shut down. Well, come 1992 and Howard isn’t around anymore to say the project’s pointless so S.H.I.E.L.D. digs it out, puts their best minds on it and… Nothing. Not a thing. Nearly twenty years later and they still can’t even tell me what Howard got stuck on. But you, three months in a cave with a box of scraps, working off your goddamn memory of a project that was barely a side-light for SI and BANG,” Fury nodded toward the reactor set in Tony’s chest. “There’s a leap forward, the first one since the early 70’s.

“Now I don’t know if your daddy loved you or not,” Fury continued. “Given his hands off policy with regards to you and S.H.I.E.L.D. he didn’t exactly talk you up around the coffee machine. But he molded you. If anyone is going to figure out what he was on the brink of back then, it’s you. But not if you die. You need this breakthrough to live. SHIELD’s been waiting for it since before you were born. So... You got this? Right? Right?”

“Got what?” Tony exclaimed. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to get.”

“Natasha will remain a floater at Stark with her cover intact-”

“Only because I don’t want to lose track of her if I decide to prosecute,” Pepper interjected. “And she won’t be doing any more work. It’s no skin off my nose if everyone thinks Tony’s keeping her around for eye candy.”

“And Tony, remember, I got my eye on you,” Fury continued without acknowledging Pepper.

“I thought I wasn’t the center of your universe,” Tony called after the spy as he swept out.

“We’ve disabled all communications,” Romanoff announced. “No contact with the outside world. Good luck.”

Pepper looked outraged. “Fix that right now!”

“She’s working from here today,” Tony told Romanoff. “A communication blackout really isn’t going to cut it.” Then he turned to Coulson. “And once you have that little SNAFU set right, I need a little bodywork. I’ll put in a little time at the lab. If we could send one of your goon squad down to The Coffee Bean, Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run, or something like that, that’d be nice.”

“I’m not here for that,” Coulson replied pleasantly. “I’ve been authorised by Director Fury to use any means necessary to keep you on premises. If you attempt to leave or play any games, I will tase you and watch…” he trailed off when he noticed Pepper giving him the evil eye.

“Please, do go on,” Pepper said icily. “You were explaining how S.H.I.E.L.D.’s unlawfully made Tony a prisoner in his own home and were threatening to torture him if he wouldn’t comply?”

“It’s for his own good,” Coulson defended himself. He nodded towards Tony, “He works best under pressure. Afghanistan proved that. So we thought the best way to get him to make another breakthrough on the Arc Reactor would be to recreate those conditions as much as we’re able: Captivity, isolation, fear of torture, fear for his life.”

“No,” Pepper stated. “Tony is entirely capable of locking himself in his lab without any external prompting but if he wants to leave he can and you will not get in the way. You will not threaten him. Actually once your… Subordinates have finished repairing the communication systems you disabled and returning all of Howard Stark’s research to it’s rightful owner, you’ll be leaving.” She glanced over her shoulder at Romanoff. “I’m tempted to tell you that you to make the coffee, since I agreed to allow you to stick around as I want someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. accessible for the moment, but on second thought I wouldn’t trust any drink that you handed me.” She glanced upward. “J.A.R.V.I.S., could you take care of the coffee and please document any attempts by S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel to interfere with the delivery man’s access to the property.”

“Of course Ma’am,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.

“Look at that, you don’t have to fix the communication systems after all,” Tony remarked distractedly as he poked through one of the boxes S.H.I.E.L.D. had brought. “Aren’t you happy?”

“Ecstatic,” Coulson replied dryly but Tony was already pulling several film reels and old notebooks out of the box. He started walking toward his lab without bothering to acknowledge Coulson.

“There, he’s absorbed. No imprisonment or coercion needed,” Pepper said. “Now, Agent Coulson, before you leave. We should have a little discussion about constitutional rights and abuses of power by government representatives. I am willing to forgive quite a lot, if it saves Tony’s life, but if all this nonsense does not produce a miracle?” Pepper’s smile sent a chill down Coulson’s spine.

 

* * *

 

Sometime later, after Tony had gone out for a drive to clear his head and came back with a car full of Howard Stark’s model from the 1976 Expo, Pepper heard an alarming amount of banging and crashing coming from Tony’s lab. She went downstairs and found him in the middle of remodeling with a sledgehammer.

“Everything alright down here?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Tony replied distractedly. “Yeah, good, great even. Turns out Dad left me the blueprints for a new element. I just need to throw together a particle accelerator. I’d fly up to Stanford and ask to borrow theirs but the waiting line’s a bitch and Hank Pym’ll accuse me of trying to steal something if I dare enter his half of California.”

Pepper rubbed her temples.

“If Vanko were still alive he and old Hank could start a club, or maybe a support group: People who couldn’t get enough of hating Dad while he was alive and decided I make a good stand in.” Tony retrieved a jackhammer, “You might want to back up a little,” he warned as he looked at the floor speculatively.

“Agent Coulson left for New Mexico,” Pepper let Tony know as he started in on the patch of flooring he’d been eying. “If you’re good, I should have left for the Expo twenty minutes ago…”

“What?!” Tony shouted over the noise of the jackhammer.

Pepper sighed. “I’m leaving for the Expo! Unless you need something!” she shouted. “And I’m taking Agent Romanoff with me to keep her out of trouble!”

“Yeah? Great!” Tony shouted back. “I’ll call as soon as this works.”

 

* * *

 

 

**Aftermath**

 

Tony sat alone in a very temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. facility with plenty of fancy equipment, atmosphere and two files. He tapped his toe, checked his watch, sighed and reached for the closer of the two files. He barely had a chance to read the title: ‘Avengers Initiative: Preliminary Report’, when Nick Fury walked in as if he’d been waiting for that cue and stopped Tony from opening it. “I don’t think I want you looking at that. I’m not sure it pertains to you anymore. Now this on the other hand, is Agent Romanoff’s assessment of you. Read it,” he ordered holding the other file out to Tony.

Tony glanced at it distastefully but made no move to actually take it, “What’s this? Transparent attempt… Um…Three?” He ticked off several counts on his fingers. “Four? Five attempts to manipulate me? No thanks. I only agreed to this little tete-a-tete because I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to say thank you.”

Fury sat back, a small smirk playing around his mouth.

“I got cocky. Practically dared the military to find someone to try and hack my suit. Left the door unlocked and said, yeah, go ahead and try to hot wire that baby. I didn’t think anyone could do it. I was wrong and Rhodey, my best friend, almost ended up being forced to shoot me because of that. I don’t know what Vanko would have done to him afterwards if we -Well, your girl- Natashalie hadn’t gotten the suit rebooted. So thanks. You can tell her thanks for me, right?"

"I'll let her know that her efforts were appreciated," Fury said. 

“And I wanted to let you know, Pepper and I talked. We decided that the most appropriate way for us to show our gratitude would be…” Tony grinned sharply, “To NOT to press charges against her or S.H.I.E.L.D. for all the bullshit you pulled.”

“We saved your life!” Fury exclaimed.

“By performing a medical procedure I hadn’t consented to or by giving me a posthumous message from my father, which you’d clearly previewed, decades late?” Tony asked as he stood up. “Tell Natashalie ‘Thanks’,” he repeated, “but this is S.H.I.E.L.D.’s last freebie. Don’t worry about getting up, I can see myself out.”


End file.
